


The Derry Curse

by Blueberrylizard



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Good Pennywise (IT), Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, reader is mostly female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-01-03 18:13:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12152088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberrylizard/pseuds/Blueberrylizard
Summary: After your mother's advice of moving out on your own after basically freeloading at home, you find yourself a place, in a  small town in Maine. After moving in and thinking the house is too good to be true, you find out it really is.((((THIS IS NOT FINISHED!! THERE WILL BE MORE))))





	1. Spreading Your Wings

Your mother broke the silence at the unusually awkward breakfast table. She loudly took a sip of her over sweetened coffee and set it down in an obtuse fashion, cleared her throat and quietly began, "Y'know, I think it's time you spread your wings. Get your feet wet. Have an advent--" you cut her off by putting your hand up as you swallowed your oatmeal before you spoke. "You want me to move out." It wasn't in the form of a question, it was a statement. 

She grew visibly nervous and began fidgeting with her coffee cup. Your mother laughed dryly, "Well ah, not exactly! I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do, honey..." she trailed off slightly and began to view the grain in the table. You felt bad for sounding so harsh, but it was early in the morning and you didn't have the energy to pitch your voice. 

With your breakfast finished you looked at your mother and she looked back. "I'll begin looking for an apartment this afternoon, thank you for making breakfast." Your mother looked up at you, almost elated. You stood up, bowl in hand and kissed your mom on the head before depositing your bowl in the sink. You have lots of searching to do. Walking through a couple rooms in your house, you began to make your journey up the stairs, and into your room. Its dark, you rarely ever open the curtains, or turn on the light for that matter. 

Ever since you graduated university you mope around your mother's house, but other than that; you work, thankfully from home. You eye your bed, it has been yours since you were small and the years of tantrums and teenage rage have taken a toll on it, so when you hop onto the poor thing is let's out a moan in protest. Everything in that moment feels so familiar and normal, like everything is in it's place and everything will always be okay. You're in your familiar place, almost everything is in your control and okay. But everything is not okay. You have to start looking for somewhere to move into, to leave to, to move on. You let out a tired sigh and open up your veteran laptop and power it on. You decide to ignore your email today because you know for certain that you'd have your inbox full of job requests, so you choose the latter and open up your browser and start searching in depth for your new home. 

Tacking away at your abused keyboard, you type in various keywords. "Cheap places to live in the USA", "cheap 1 bedroom apartment", "no roommate required"... etc. After several dead ends and shitty ads you begin to feel even more tired and frustrated-- if that was even possible. But you think maybe buying a house wouldn't be that bad of an idea. "Small cheap houses near my area". You hesitantly press Enter, and you enable your location when the pop up appears, and it rewards you with a few promising results, although they're not exactly that close. After checking out a few of the links, you find the deal of a lifetime. The ad, for the house that catches your eye the most, reads "300 sq foot, basement included, 2 bathrooms, 1 bedroom, $35,000". Your jaw dropped, you doubt you'd have to take out a mortgage. 

The place was perfect and the price was too good to be true. The house was lovely, it has a beautiful blue exterior, definitely not new though ,and a lovely garden... but from further examination, you find it needed some upkeep. You immediately jump at the chance to call the real-estate agent that was in charge of selling the house. Grabbing your phone and clumsily dialing the number on your computer screen next to the ad , you listen patiently at the dial tone on your ear coming from your phone and wait for the agent to pick up. After the fourth ring a peppy, yet rushed sounding young man answered. "Maine housing agency! How may I help you?" He sounded way too excited to answer your phone call. You begin slowly "Uh.. yeah. I was just calling to inquire about that house for sale in Derry? The one on Neibolt?" The line went silent for a split second "Hello--"  
He cut you off and sounded a little shaken, like the phone just bit him "Uh. Yeah... are-- uh, you trying to come see it?" It's clear in his voice that he does not want to show you this house. This only piqued your curiosity "Actually, yes. I would. And I was wondering if it was still for sale" he chuckles, as if you were dumb "Of course it's still for sale. No one has even called and asked about it, well, except you of course." Strange. The house was so cheap and it was in such a small town, you'd think that people would jump on that sale like no ones business. You begin the ponder what could be wrong with it. 

He obviously could sense that you were hesitant in your silence and jumped to speak once more. "Would you.. would you like to see it still?" He's quiet now, all his peppiness had seemed to disappear at this point, it was replaced with worry. You nod to yourself and answer "Yes. Yes I would. I'm kinda far so I'll have to take a bus or something.." you trail off. He sounds relived as he picks up "ah well-- Ha! That acually works out! Now I can get property prepared. When works for you best?" You open your calendar on your computer and check when you'd be free from your job, "Anytime next week is fine. Does Thursday work for you?" You inquire. "In fact, that's perfect. It's like you're reading my mind, haha. I'll put you down for an appointment. See you then?" You pause,one last chance to back out before answering. "See you Thursday." 

You hang up and exhale, you don't remember holding your breath. The whole world lifted its weight off your shoulders but at the same time you still felt heavy. It was time to make your long trip to Derry, Maine. After a brief moment of thinking about your currant situation, you begin to feel exultant. A large smile grows on your face as you practically kick your door down to get to the first floor. "Mom!! Mom!!" You cup your hands over your mouth as you shrieked for your mother. You cringe as you hear a plate shatter on what you guess was the kitchen floor. "Huh?? What is it? What?" You chuckle as you prance into the kitchen. 

With a gine plastered on your face, phone in hand and statement ready, you confront your mom. "Sooo.. guess who found somewhere to liveeee?" You almost sing. She gives you a sideways glance and raises an eyebrow. She didn't respond, which frankly disappointed you. "Mom. It was me. I found somewhere to live" you deadpan. The realization hit her in the face and she smiled "Oh! Oh honey, that's absolutely wonderful! Where's the house?" You awkwardly smile back now, and rub the back of your neck. "It's uh.. it's in Maine..." she turns to you and whispers "what..?" You roll your eyes, you're an adult, you don't exactly need her approval. "I'm moving to, Maine, mother. " she began to almost look furious. "You-- you can't move to Maine!! That's way too far. No no no, I'd rather you stay home in that case!" Now, staying home wouldn't really be a problem for you, but it was the face that she was telling you what to do, meddling in your life, and mothering you after she told you that this is what she wants. "I'm... wait. Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't this what you wanted to push me to do?" She looks at you like you're a chicken with your head cut off, "Well not like this!! You're moving so far away from me! What if something bad happens?" You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose before you replied "I've already set up the appointment and I'm about to buy my bus ticket. I'm doing this. You'll be fine. " before she could even get a work out you made your way back to your room. But little did you know, the little cursed town in Maine was already having an effect on you.


	2. Town Trotter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swim hard and swim fast.

Pack. Pack. Pack. All you've been doing is packing and preparing for the past few days. But today is the time for you to embark on your great journey to Maine. But as you bring your luggage down the stairs your mother starts on you. Her protests fall on deaf ears though as you kiss her good bye, tell her you love her and leave your childhood home behind, but not for good. 

You hoped. 

 

Luggage, bus ticket and life savings in hand, or well... in your bag rather, you waddle out of your home and to the bus stop on the corner . According to your wrinkled pass, the transit should be arriving shortly, but your luggage weighing down on you was making it feel like hours by the minute. 

 

Regardless, you're absolutely ecstatic. This is the very first, real adult thing you've ever done. You'll be in a new scene, with new people, new smells, and new surroundings. But at the same time that would make you an outsider. And from what you understand, being an outsider in a small town isn't exactly a good thing. 

 

The screech of the bus' brakes brought you back to reality. This is it. The door opened and before you step on, you prod the driver. "Uhm. Is this the bus to Derry..?" The meekness in your voice was unfamiliar to you, the driver gave you a look "Oh, you're the one I'm taking, huh? As soon as I got the order to head out to Maine, I knew you'd be an interesting one!" He laughs extremely dryly, as if he's trying to calm himself down "Are you sure you're wantin' to go there?" You begin the climb the stairs onto the vehicle, since you've already gotten your answer. "Yes, yes I do. Why? Is there a problem with my destination?" You question a tad spitefully. "Well I mean, other than the white trash hicks livin' there, the place reeks a' death."

 

You hand him your ticket and sit in the seat next to the one behind him, so you could possibly hold a conversation with the man. I You observe that kinda old, maybe around 60? He looks like your stereotypical grandfather, round gold rimmed glasses and all. Possibly a little to old to be driving cross state. "What?" You almost didn't catch what he said, or well, you didn't really want to catch it either. "You're telling me, you're traveling to the most remote town on the east coast, and you didn't even research?" He had a point. 

 

He coughs and starts the bus back up and begins to pull away from the stop, no turning back now. "Care to tell me what's so bad about Derry then?" You smile to yourself expecting an answer like 'the diesel prices are too high!!' Or 'there's no pretty women!' But the answer you receive makes you still. 

 

"People go missing in Derry." 

 

He turns the steering wheel, as he continues with the unwanted information. "And not just people, oh no. Children." This information seemed so surreal to you, you tried really hard to be rational. Maybe he was just saying all these things because he doesn't want to drive you all the way to Maine. Maybe he was hoping you'd jump out the window and he could just go home to his cat or something. 

 

You sunk into your seat, and as much as you hate to think, you're really glad you're not a child. You take your phone out of your bag and open the browser. 

 

'Missing children in Maine' you made a point not to specifically insert Derry into the search just so you wouldn't hurt your feelings. Maybe a lot of people go missing in the state and it's not just the town's problem? But just as you feared, the first thing that resulted in your search was a link "Mortality and missing person reports are double in Derry." That was all you really needed to see from the obscure article headline, so you turned off your phone and with a sunken heart and put it back in its rightful place. 

 

With a sigh, you turn to your right and look out the foggy window. It was pretty early in the morning so the dew of the night still clung to the glass. You pull your sweat shirt sleeve over your hand and wipe across the window so you can properly view outside of it. The fabric becomes wet, but at least you can see. You begin to view the world outside, whizzing by, but you start to drift off.  
With heavy eyelids, you give in and succumb to the darkness creeping in on your vision.

 

You wake up not long after. Or well. You think you do, you're not on the bus seat anymore. The entire environment around you has completely morphed. It is dark and... wet? Your shoes are wet and your socks are soaked, ugh, the worst. You scrunch up your nose at the stench that wafts into your victimized nostrils, "Ugh, where the hell am I?" You mumble mostly to yourself as you take a tentative foot forward. Your sock inside your shoe squelches. It's a true uncomfortable nightmare. 

 

You take baby steps forward into the unknown, even though it's useless to really navigate your way through the wet darkness, you can barely see in front for your own face. You can't see at all for that matter. Yet... you're acutely aware of the "water" slowly rising from ankle height to mid shin. The cold, thick feeling liquid soaks through your jeans making you shiver, the stench getting worse. Your baby waddles turn into panicked tiptoeing. 

 

Your fruitless attempts of wading forward become more and more grueling as the water rises to knee height. Fear bubbles up in your stomach and makes you heave. It's getting increasingly hard to breathe. The air felt as though you were breathing in hot soup, and the smell of the environment remained pungent. It was a miracle you haven't thrown up all over yourself. 

 

At this point you were practically swimming through what you assumed was raw sewage. You felt like you were starting to float as the water rose, but your head felt like it hit the rounded ceiling of a sewer pipe. The liquid was up to your chin, and your labored breathing had done you no favors in feeling less panicked. You still felt suffocated. Shrill screams tore their way through your throat as the air space around you became limited. The world around you began to shake and crumble as you swam faster, faster, faster. Your entire head becoming enveloped in the water. 

A voice and the blinding light of reality is what made you come to. 

 

"Excuse me? Hello?? Wake up! This is the end of the line for you, kiddo!" A soft, and somewhat familiar gravely voice slapped you back into your reality. You became sharply aware of the drool crust on your chin as you look blankly at your savior. "Huhn?.. what--?" You were dry. And... still in the bus? He offers you a hearty laugh and helps you sit up. 

 

"Welcome to town, kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! More to come soon! Keep leaving those comments.


	3. We Love Derry

Home. Or well, that's what Derry seemed to smell like when you arrived. Specifically it smelled like creek and dirt road, which for some reason made you feel right at home. The air was ironically thick with life and a welcoming atmosphere, and what added to your elated mood was that your temporary grandpa bus driver helped you get your luggage off the bus and waited for escort with you to take you to your bed and breakfast. 

 

You wondered why you needed an escort and your driver explained to you that Derry had a famous curfew. And that curfew was 7pm and right now, it was 8:30pm. Well over an hour over the allowed time to be lingering outside, which you two were. Technically the driver wasn't even allowed to drive into the town, but thankfully he stated earlier that 'he knew a guy who knows a guy' and made a couple phone calls while you were sleeping. 

 

Your convenient recollection of the previous events was cut short of the obnoxious sound of police sirens approaching the bus stop, you made the connection that the officer in the car was trying to get your attention. Your bus driver stood up and tilted his cute little hat "And this is where we part, I hope you enjoy it here and I hope to see you soon, goodnight." He offered you a smile and you returned it as he walked back to the bus "thank you! Goodnight!" You waved to him and you stood up to collect your things. 

 

A rough looking man exits the car and approaches you with slight distain, but he still slightly smiles at you. It's unnaturally unsettling. He begins to rasp out a forced greeting "Howdy, I'm officer Bowers. You're the one I'm taking to the inn?" Your voice gets lost in your throat, and your voice cracks when you answer him.   
"A-ah, yes! Yes, yes I am. I'm sorry if this is inconveniencing you. I didn't know Derry that had a curfew so early, I didn't do much research before coming here." You force a weak laugh to lighten the mood and he chuckles in return before walking back to the car, "One of the many charms of this town. Let's get a move on" 

 

You take a breath before trotting to the makeshift cab and stuff your luggage in the back. You hop in the front seat with the officer and buckle up, he starts the car, and the atmosphere grows awkward. He tries small talk. "So... where're you from?" You side eye him "I'm from Buffalo, New York." You say as a matter of fact. "Oh. So the drive wasn't that long? Around 8 hours?" You nod. "Yeah, it wasn't too bad, I slept most of the time. And I was pretty much the only one on the transit." 

 

He smiles, but it turns to a frown. "Why'd you come here? Ghost hunting, right? That's the craze now I assume?" He sounds disgusting, mad. You look at him incredulously "Ghost hunting? What? No, no, no. I'm buying a house here. Why would I be ghost hunting?" You're baffled at the fact that he already mistrusted you. He takes a relieved sigh through the nose "Just a lotta Kids loitering here looking for 'ghost children' or something like that." He sneers, and you understand. He's probably the one who has to deal with all the young tourists coming around, terrorizing the town and families of those who's children had gone missing. "Oh, I almost forgot about the whole... kid thing." You pause. "I'm sorry" He offers another unsettling smile as the car slows to a stop "It's fine, you seem like a good kid. This is your stop though."

 

You get out of the car and retrieve your belongings. He rolls down the window. "Stay out of trouble, and welcome to Derry. Remember the curfew." He gives a throaty laugh and you smile "Will do, I hope to see you around. And thank you for driving me." He nodded, and pulled away.

 

You enter the lobby to the quaint little bed and breakfast. It's littered with potted plants and pink curtains. The polished oak floorboards creak beneath you as you stalk to the counter. There sits a cute, polished, silver bell with an accessory sign that reads 'Ring for assistance!" You giggled to your self as you bring the pad of your index finger to the button of the bell and tap it. 

 

The light ring seems to echo through the house for at least a second before the sing song voice of an old woman cut through the building. "I'll be right with you!" As you wait for your host, you adjust your back pack and your rolling luggage. 

 

The room 'lobby' grew unnaturally quiet in what seemed like an instant. You thought about setting your things down to go check on the woman, she was taking a while and her voice sounded ancient, so maybe she had a senior moment accident. The temperature sharply dropped in the room, and your breath fogged out of your mouth as goose bumps plumped up on the flesh on your forearms. Lights flickered and you only blinked for a moment when, what looked like a red balloon floated in the corner of your vision. It was so out of place, how could such an insignificant object unnerve you so? 

 

Before you could turn your head to investigate the party accessory, someone tapped your shoulder and the cold atmosphere crashed around you as you were pulled back from the world you lingered in. "Are you okay, dear?"  
You shake your head and decide to keep your vision to yourself as the warmth of the room returned. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." You smile towards her and put out your hand "Thank you so much for letting me stay the night, it means a lot" she returns your gesture with a warm, motherly feeing hand. "Oh! Of course, pumpkin. It's so nice to see a fresh face around here. And a pretty one at that" she gives an 'hohoho!' And pinches your cheek.

 

This woman reminds you of your mother and it makes your heart jump up and down in a range of happiness and sadness. You left her on such sort notice, you should visit her soon. The woman senses your internal conflict and puts a hand on your shoulder. "Would you like to see your room? I made it up all nice and I even opened the window to let some healthy, fresh air in." you nod and readjust your bags. "Yes please!" She makes her way to the stairs behind the counter and starts climbing up. "This way, deary!" You follow behind her in haste. 

 

The room she provided you is cute, to say the least. And it's tastefully furnished with vintage decorations and antique furniture. The bed is huge, and the blankets are plush and reek of lovely scented fabric softener. It reminds you of your bed at home. You throw your bag off your back and onto the bed. You abandon your rolling suitcase in the corner and walk to the window. The lukewarm summer breeze caresses and kisses your skin as you breathe it in. The view is quaint. You can see the closed shops and street below you and it makes you want to explore in the morning, despite being incredibly busy the next day. 

 

Before you came into your room, your host explained that she'd have breakfast in the den early in the morning. She also added if you wanted to get some you'd have to get up early too because the neighborhood kids often stopped by to get their fill.   
You giggled to the image of a bunch of scruffy children scarfing down grandma's breakfast on their summer vacation and it made you feel beautifully nostalgic. 

 

You think about your life in this town and how it may be, and it reminds you to email the agent that you made it to town and you'd like to meet tomorrow afternoon.   
You pull your phone out of your back pocket and tack away at the screen and compose a sloppy email to your house provider. As you hit send the wind seems to pick up and wildly blow your hair around and into your face. You pocket you phone once more and peak out the window. Your breath catches in your throat as you gaze into the street below. 

 

There's a balloon. 

 

There's a similar looking red balloon that you thought you saw in the lobby. It's floating unnaturally still even though you can clearly feel the wind manically blowing around you, and it's hovering but somehow not flying into the sky above. "What the fuck?" You mumble to yourself but it sounds unfamiliarly frightened. You try to remain rational, maybe this thing is scaring you because it defies all the basic laws of physics. The more you stare, you realize that the balloon is rotating and slowly revealing text.

I 

Love '<3'

Derry

 

You shudder and your eyes bulge out of your head as your watch the balloon move on its own. You lean out of the window and almost fall when you feel someone's large and cold hand on the small of your back. You scream, as you turn around to reveal. 

 

No one. 

 

The room is empty. It's just you. Your bed. And your luggage. The wind if gone and there's a piece of ripped paper on the mattress that wasn't there before. You turn back at the window and the dammed latex air sack devil is gone. You slam your fist on the wall "I'm probably just tired, the air is probably getting to me, maybe we're high above sea level and it's getting to me." You choke out a million excuses to explain what you just witnessed. You admit it does make you feel better, but when you end your babbling you walk to the bed and snatch up the garbage that was left on the bed. 

 

The paper looks old and it is stained yellow with age. You turn it over and it reveals part of some text from a flier. It reads "Police Department, City of Derry. MISSING" and it rips off at the scalp of a portrait so you can't see the face. You raise a brow and for some reason the stationary infuriates you. You crumple it up and throw it somewhere in the room and throw yourself onto the bed. 

 

You feel the weight of sleep settle on your eyelids. You shake it away as you sit up and unzip your bag. No way were you sleeping in jeans. You pull out your favorite pajamas that your mom bought you a couple years ago. They're white synthetic fleece with a cute pastel clown pattern. You strip yourself of your old clothes and don your sleep attire and turn off the light before laying down on the king sized bed. 

 

Joints crack and limbs strain and you sprawl out and stretch on the bed. "Ooohhh, this is nice" you rub your head on the heavy feather pillows as you take out your phone and set an alarm to wake up early to get breakfast and meet the agent at a reasonable time. But as you begin to drift off, fear touches your brain as you hope not to have another dream like you had on the bus ride here. You shake those thoughts away as you let sleep envelop you. 

Before you completely submerge into dream land, you swear you hear a delighted giggle in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHH. It's getting interestinggg. Bear with the slow build guys. It's worth it. ; A ;


	4. Your Weird Mom Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make friends with some of the neighborhood kids who eat your breakfast and escort you to your new home.

Chapter 4

 

Your ass was cold.   
That's all you could register. It was cold, but at least it was dry. You couldn't see anything again, and you feared you were in the sewers again. Your breathing became erratic, switching from deep breaths from your mouth to deep inhalations through your nose. The air was stale smelling and very musty like the smell of a building that hasn't been lived in for a couple decades. Well, maybe that was underestimated. Either way the place smelled really really old. And really really gross. 

 

Your vision faded in next. Your eyes were just slightly out of focus, like you had just woken up. You were sitting in the middle of what looked like the foyer, of what you assumed was a dirty abandoned home. All the finish on the floor boards were chipped off or peeled away by the years of neglect. The carpet that once sat under the boarded up front door was pushed to the corner with a few ancient leaves, the colors faded. 

 

You lift you hand and see the years of grime and dust sit upon it and your sleeve from the floor. It makes you scrunch your nose up in disgust and the dirt makes you sneeze. "......bless you." You hear the wind whisper to you as it puts emphasis on every consonant. It makes you scramble up from your sitting position to a tall shivering stand. You look around the shanty home and call out meekly "Huh.. hello?" Your words echo. Just then a door to your far right slams open in another room. It practically makes you jump out of your skin. 

 

You walk to the next room where the noise came from and see a door to... well, wherever, you couldn't see anything. All the open door reveals to your sight is inky darkness that held nothing inside, yet held a thousand secrets. The air seeping from the door felt warm, and it was calling to you, coaxing your soul to come hither. You put a curious hand forward and touched the darkness to reveal that it wasn't an empty black room, but a warm, liquid, gelatin mass. It rippled under your touch and you gasped to see it move around and pick up speed. The movement stirred up what looked like tons of garbage and plant debris. 

The more you inspect the garbage floating around the thick liquid, you take note that it's mostly old toys, children's shoes, clothes and candy wrappers. But what really catches your eye is a little paper boat that slowly floats just below the surface. But as you attempt to reach in to grab it, the mass collapses as your touch and the grey, garbage water bursts me and pours from the door and begins to flood into the house.

 

"Jesus Christ!! What the actual fuck??" You call out in panicked breath and gag at the smell as you run back to what you think was the front door. It's still boarded up, and the sewage level is rising. You fail trying to pry the dry rotted planks from the antique door. Your heart rate is through the roof as it pounds in your chest, it feels likes it's trying to burst from your chest. 

Thump bump. Thump bump. 

You run around every single room on the first floor, trying every single door and window, but they're all either nailed shut or boarded over or locked. 

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. 

The water rises up to your neck and you swim to the stairs as a last ditch effort to escape. The railing is splintered and the paint is horribly chipped, and you pull yourself on the first stair to climb up. It creaks and moans with every step, and it begins to shake under your weight as you begin to run to the top. "Oh my gosh, no no no. Please don't" you feel the instability of the construction sway below. 

Bump. Beep. Bump. Beep. 

The more you run up the stairs, the more steps appear and the more you realize that you're climbing up a never ending, winding dream staircase. The water is leaking through the steps and they groan as the nails get pulled up from the force. There's shrill and delighted laughter cutting through air and it only makes your heart rate sky rocket as the fear bubbles up in your stomach

Beep. 

The stairs collapse in a splintering manner as the water bursts through the ancient stairs. In and instant you're submerged in sewage. 

Beep. 

It's. Cold. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. 

 

You squeeze your eyes shut to keep the infected and dirty water from licking at your eyes and you try your hardest to hold your breath. But your body fails you as you release the air in your lungs. 

 

Beep. Beep. 

 

You inhale hard. And fast. And it hurts your organs. But, what you inhale isn't sewage. It's air. Actually, fresh air. Your eyes fly open as you take in ragged, uneven, yet relieved breaths. You're in your room. And you look over to see your phone alarm softly beeping. You swallow hard and groan, while you rub your neck. "Ughhhnn.. what're with these dreams, man?" You whine and look out the window, you try to remember why you wanted to wake up early. 

 

Oh yeah the email. Oh-- and breakfast. 

You stretch and rub the sleep from your eyes, even though it feels like you didn't sleep at all. Why were your dreams so fucked up lately? Was it from the stress form moving? Or maybe the fact that you were in a new location? Either way, you wished it would end. And fast. 

 

You didn't bother changing of your pajamas when you made you way out of your room and to the den. And just like your host said, there was a hoard of children wolfing down all of the food that had been laid out. "Awwwe, c'mon guys." You jokingly pouted and crossed your arms, the kids looked at you at once. One of the boys with half a waffle in his mouth spoke up "Haha, nice jammies!" The thick glasses he wore slid down his face as he laughed. "Hey-ay, dude. Tha-that's not nice." Another boy punched his shoulder as he defended your honor. 

Your eyes rolled an a whim and a girl, that looked around the same age as the boys, brushed past you. She did a double take and a smile stained her cheeks as she looked at you "Heey, who're you? I don't think I've ever seen you around before." The same kid with the specs piped in "Hey, yeah! Now that you mention it, who are you?" You felt like you had all eyes on you, and you decided to answer truthfully instead of giving them a silly lie like, 'oh, I'm santa clause!'. "Well ah, I'm moving in to town and I had to stay the night before I could move into my house." They all went 'ahh, okay' before resuming their feast. 

 

You were a little bummed that you didn't get have any breakfast this morning so you just decided to go to your room and get yourself ready for the day ahead. Before you could turn to leave, the old woman was beside you and she made you jump. "Ah--! Oh geez. Haha, you startled me!" She laughed "I'm sorry dear! I didn't mean to give you a scare, just came to give you the muffin I saved from these rug rats" she winked at you, and handed you the beautifully wrapped baked good. You thanked her and decided to sit down with the kids. 

 

There were only 3. And the boy the with the slight stutter spoke up. "So uh, wha-wh-what made you wanna m-move here?" You slowly took the double wrapping off your muffin "The housing market is really good here." The kids blinked "That means the house was cheap, no one really wants to move here." they awkwardly smiled 'oh'. The glasses kid spoke up "Makes sense, I wouldn't wanna live here either if I was at risk for being kidnapped" you raised a brow at him. And then you remembered what your bus driver said. 

"People go missing in Derry." 

Before the kids could prod on, you took a fat bite out of your muffin. The bread was warm, soft and fluffy, And the rich taste of liquid... iron? Filled your mouth. The filling was thick feeling as the taste danced on your tongue. Gagging, you pulled back with your mouth full, and you observed the deep red liquid leak from the bite mark. Your own blood ran cold, and your ears rang. The world spinner around you. 

This couldn't be real, there's no way an old lady fed you a fucking blood muffin, or whatever this sick trick was. You looked over to see that the young girl saw it too. And she seemed to be wearing the same horrified expression you were as she gaped at the scene before you both. And then you call out with your mouth full "UHH--mmf, what's the fillin' in th' muffin?" The host replied from the room "raspberry jam I believe?" And when you looked back down to correct her, the filling was indeed a thick jam with raspberry chunks, and the iron taste in your mouth was gone. 

You looked back at the girl and she seemed as surprised and as horrified as you. You swallow. You put the food on the table and rub your hands together. "I think I've lost my appetite" you let out a humorless, breathy laugh, and one of the boys snatched the remains of your breakfast and wolfed the offending pastry, down. 

The girl broke the tense silence as the bells on her necklace jingled when she turned to you. "So, which house're you moving into? I don't think I've seen any signs up." She questioned. You pull up your phone and bring up the address. "It's on kind of a quiet side street. I'm moving into the blue one... on Neibolt I believe." The kids stopped everything they were doing and turned to you in a flash "Ne-n-neib-buh-bolt?" The boy's stutter was fractured and nervous. "Are you fucking crazy? You're living across the crack squatter house?" The kid with the thick lenses stood up. 

A wave of confusion washed over you. "What're you talking about? Crack head-- huh? You mean that abandoned house?" The one with the stutter nodded "Yeah, tha-at one." You rolled your eyes "I'm sure it's nothing more than just an old house. But can any of you show me where the road is?"

They were all hesitant. But the girl stood "I'll take you! I'm no coward." And with that she smirked at the boys and they went red in the face "Hey no! /I'll/ take her!"   
"W-whu-what? Cmon guys, lemme take her-r." The kids we're laughing and arguing with each other on who would be your honorable escort, and it made you smile. Before it could escalate you put your hands up "Alright, alright. Guys-- guys. You all can take me. Okay?" The girl and the boy the with the stutter high-fived and glasses groaned and mutters "damn."

You stood up and rubbed your mouth with your sleeve to see that a clown on the fabric had some dirt on him, just one though. You brush it off as the table being dirty. You pull out your phone and open your email to briefly see that the agent confirmed your meeting time. You pocket the devise and speak up "Alright guys, lemme change and we can go. Okay?" You turned to leave "awe, c'mon, I was really digging your look!" You laughed and made your way to your room to change. 

 

The room was quiet, which was nice since you were the only one in there. But the silence shattered at you hear multiple tiny yet loud footsteps race up the stairs. You decide to leave the door open.   
You make your way to you bag and pull out a plaid shirt and some overall shorts. The girl walked up and touched the fabrics. "Ooh, I like that. Looks cool." You smiled and dig through your bag some more to look for some socks "Thank you!" 

One of the boys sat in the old rocking chair and rocked in it, causing it to squeal and fill the silence. "What's your name?" He blurred out, it was the specs kid. "Oh. It's (Y/N). And what's yours?" You jumped up from his seat and took a large bow "I am, Sir Richard Tozier. But all the ladies call me Dick." You wailed with laughter but it was followed by an 'ow'. Someone probably hit him. 

But his introduction was followed by "My name's Beverly." And "Uh, muh, my name is Bill." You picked up your pile of clothes and turned to face them all. "Well, its nice to meet you all. " you offered a stoic smile before adding "I might ask you a thousand times though. I'm horrible at remembering new names." And with that you walked into the bathroom to change. 

You quickly stripped yourself of your pastel jammies and pulled on your amalgamate of clothing. Your clothes felt fresh and soft as you rubbed your hands up and down on the overall fabric. But, then you looked in the mirror. You felt incredibly uneasy. But considering the previous events of your dreams and the god damn balloon, you left the room before anything could happen. 

unseen eyes followed

The kids were all laying on your bed, pretending to sleep. You faked a sigh "Ohhh no. Now that these kids are asleep, how will I ever find my way home? Ohhh noooo." You fell into the bed causing the kids to bounce and they giggled. Beverly.. you think, sat up and poked your forehead "Okay okay, let's go." 

You all left the room and made your way out of the building. You felt like a kid again in this rag tag group as you practically skipped down the street. Beverly and Bill seemed to be leading while you and Richard lagged behind. "So're you gunna like, be our weird mom friend?" he pushed his glasses up. You shrugged "What does that even mean?" He kicked a stone in the street as he continued "Like, you invite us over for dinner and stuff, I don't know. Eddie's mom is kinda like that. She makes extra dinner if we show up or not. Just in case." You nod your head and kinda get a grip on what he was implying. "I mean, if you want to come over for a sandwich or some Pong sometimes, be my guest." You laughed and he kicked the rock out of reach. 

 

The walk to Neibolt was kinda long. At least ten minutes from the inn. You laughed and joked with the kids and they babbled on about some teens called the 'Bowers gang' the name sounded incredibly familiar. As you turned on to the street, you saw your little house with a car parked in the driveway. The agent was waiting for you. But the kids attention was directed at the 'Crackhead squatter house' 

You nudged Bill and he jumped. "You alright?" You questioned. He swallowed hard and nodded. "Yea-ah. I'm okay." You give I'm an inquisitive look and shrug. "Do you guys wanna come along or would you rather wait on the porch. In unison they shouted "Come along!!" You smiled and rolled your eyes as you climbed up the steps and knocked on the door. 

Welcome home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooahhhhh. We're making some progressss.


	5. He Watches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh hey? It's been a while...... But I told y'all I was gunna finish it. SO I AM, even if I almost waited a year to update. I'll give you all an extra long chapter for this <3  
> (Also, just realized there's a flaw in my timeline. We're in the 80's and we have a phone... Ugh just go alone with it. It's a fan FICTION lmfao)

The knock could be heard echoing through the door, the emptiness of the house was absolute. The kids were watching the house that sat across the street... well more like slumped. The house sported a worn-down, dark grey siding that splintered, The ornamental windows in the front were dirty. The yard was unkempt but it was littered with prepossessing sunflowers, the centerpiece of the property was a tall, exceptionally dead, twisted tree. Your observations were cut short when the front door swung open.

You turned to the realtor, he too was gazing at the house. You and the kids watched him the whole ordeal was silent. Glasses(?)... Dick spoke up "Uh hello? Were all on Earth buddy! Come back to us!" You stifled a laugh as the man turned to you.  "My deepest apologies, I'm just dreading the day I might have to sell that house" he seasoned the joke with an obviously fake laugh. He turned to you and handed you the key "Would you like a tour or should I just leave you be?" Confusion washed over you "Shouldn't we discus payment? Mortgage?" He too looked confused "It was already paid off, ma'am. Someone paid over the phone, the area code was the buffalo area so I assumed it was a relative." A relative..? You pondered... who would-- "Augh!! My mother..." You sighed, she's definitely getting a call tonight. The realtor, Who's name tag read 'Tom' gave you a warm and knowing smile, he placed the keys in your hand and held them. "Welcome to Derry, Tour?" You smiled, and gestured for the kids to go in before you. 

The home had a stale smell, and the polished birch floors gave little noise, The realtor walked ahead of you. "We should all have a sleep over, y'know, to break the house in." Beverly suggested as she walked beside you. The boys decided to discover the home for themselves. "Now, the house only has one bedroom, but thankfully the living room is large and carpeted... Optimal for sleepovers." He winked at Bev. Tom had shown you all around the house, it took a lot longer than expected. He went through every single detail about the house: When it was built, The wood in each cabinet, furniture suggestions, where each outlet was, etc.  After the showing, he bid you goodbye and presumably drove himself back to the office. You stood in the kitchen as all the kids gathered, Bill spoke first "Wh-what are you going to do nuh-now?" You hadn't really thought about that, the humming of the old fridge gave you an idea. "Well, I have to go back to the inn at some point to grab my luggage, and I have to be here for my furniture to be delivered... maybe I'll go grocery shopping and look for some more crap to put in this beast." You shrugged. "When do you wanna have this sleep over?" Bev started to say, Rich? Richie Cut you off "Sleepover? If we're having a sleepover and you're going shopping I wanna come, can we bring Eddie and Stan? Can we get snacks? This is gunna be fuckin' awesome. I'll meet you guys back at the old lady's place!" Before you could even answer any of his questions he ran out of the house and down the road. What have you theoretically gotten yourself into? 

Now there were 3. "You guys should probably ask your parents if it's even okay that you spend the night with a stranger." you utter. "I don't think E-eddie would be able to come. His m-m-mmom hasn't met you yet. She's ridiculously protective" Bill stated as a matter of fact. "Maybe I can make time to do that while I'm in town. But I've got a lot to do, that includes settling in and unpacking. This probably won't happen tonight, Maybe tomorrow." Bill and Beverly shared a collective sigh. Keys in hand you walked towards the entrance "C'mon guys I got stuff to do, run off and be children. It's summer after all" You laughed at the notion. These strange children want to hangout with a new adult who just moved in rather than play in the mud or some shit. "I'll be at the inn getting ready if you  _really_ need me!" You yelled after them as they ran off to find their other friends. You locked the door behind you, and turned to make your way back. The house across the street caught your eye again. The left window... was the blind up this whole time? No... that can't be correct. The blinds were dirty and yellow you remember. Two little blue lights in the window attracted your attention, they sparkled such a vibrant hue it reminded you of eyes. You blinked, they were gone. 

You grew frustrated... this house obviously held some sort of reputation in this dreary town, maybe that's why your house was so cheap being so close to it and all. You stepped into the street and made your way to the other side, stopping at the entrance between the deteriorated fence, the tips of your shoes barely touching the concrete path to the porch. The house was enormous and very very old.  You felt so small standing in front of it. You felt so out of place your heart just wasn't in it to explore the yard... to the inn it is. You jogged why were you jogging there? The feeling of being watched was immense and you felt that if you turned around there would most certainly be someone there. You fought the instinct and kept your speed, giving into your paranoia would make it worse, but then again... why were you running if you knew nothing was there? Fuck it.

You turned

Nothing.

"I God damn knew it." you groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. You gave the building one last glance, whispering "What is up with you?" 

The blinds were closed again. Maybe you were imagining them being open in the first place? Whatever, you had to pack.  

 

 


	6. Porcelain

A few days had passed since the big move in, You had just received you furniture from the moving crew, and a few special packages came from when you ordered extra items. Your porch was littered with packages and small items the company left for you to move yourself. What bastards... You locate a medium white box among the common brown moving boxes. The box was adorned with a special label you had made yourself. You rushed it inside to the large display shelf that a crew member had brought into your bedroom. You took your house key from your pocket and cut the tape to open the box. "Ah! My babies made it!" you shouted into the empty house. You held one of the figures delicately in your hands before placing it on your shelf. A handmade porcelain clown doll that a friend had hand made you long ago. He ironically wasn't creepy at all, he displayed a poofy white outfit with fluffy buttons, big soft hair and the biggest sparkliest eyes. His smile was your favorite. He had little red lips with cute little buck teeth. The makeup was very light, just some red cheeks and a red nose. You lovingly pet it's head before putting the rest of them up. Various art dolls made by your friend, most of them mythical animals and a few animals that were adorned with clown attire. (You had a thing for clowns)

The dust from the box stuffing made you sneeze a few times "......bless you" you heard from within the house. Your breath stilled, hoping to hear another sound to prove you weren't just hearing things. Nothing else followed the voice "Maybe it was just a draft." getting up, grabbing the box, you made your way down the stairs to the front door. Boxes and boxes were sprinkled throughout the house and yard, it was all going to be a bitch to unpack. You had left your front door wide open to make moving the boxes less tedious, so one by one you carried each one inside and called it a day. Until your stomach made an obscene growl... you still hadn't gone shopping, you've been spending your time at local food joints. You decided after you had unpacked a few more boxes you would go out and grab something to eat.

All your candles were placed, Mattress moved and made up, dishes put in the cabinets, T.V. plugged in along with it's accessories along with the couch. You were making good progress but the noises coming from you poor belly made you stop and focus on your next task. Food. Making a list would have to wait for tomorrow so you can actually go grocery shopping, you would get a snack for now. You put on a light sweater and grabbed your purse, the sun had almost completely set by now. Would shops even be open due to the curfew? You decided to take the gamble and make the journey into town. Locking the door behind you, and walking down the stairs of your porch you stopped. A little toy train was rolling down the road... you followed.

The train chugged along at a snail's pace right along the curb of the road. It's little sting, presumably for a child to pull, dragged behind looking as worn as ever. You couldn't bring yourself to conjure a reason as to why you were following a toy down the road before it rolled towards the storm drain, falling in with a loud clunk. You looked around to see if a child was looking for their lost train, maybe the thing had a tendency to roll away? At night..? past the curfew... yeah maybe not. You crouched and peered into the drain whispering to yourself "I hope no one's missing their toy" you straightened yourself out to continue your way before a voice halted your figure. "Lose something?" you turned towards the opening once more to see a pristine white glove holding the little engine that fell in shortly before. You gaped, unblinking before responding "Uhm, no. It was rolling down the street before I could- wait, why are you in the storm drain? Are you stuck, I can call for help if you'd like?" You crouched once more to peer inside but you couldn't see much. "Oh no, child. That's quite alright I'm just fine" the hand withdrew. "How did you even get down there?" you said halfway to yourself but the man answered "A storm blew me away! Blew the whole circus away ehehe.." You looked into the darkness with disdain, "Ugh, real funny, buddy" you spat, this man was probably homeless and got a kick from wandering through the sewers of Derry to give people a scare. Probably on drugs or something... you scoffed and stood up again making a point to keep walking and ignore possible pleas to return. But you heard nothing

The town wasn't too far from your home, just a little ways past the church at the end of your street. The situation on your way here made you kind of angry, has someone been pulling pranks on you? The balloon, the eyes in the crack house, and now the fucking sewer man? It's gotta be one of those awful teens you've been hearing about... the Bowser gang? Boner? You can't remember. Just as you thought though, the curfew was in act so all the shops in town had their lights off, each one had a unique 'Closed' sign. Rolling your eyes and turning back around you began to think about the list you'd have to make when you got home, it was really hard to think on an empty stomach though. It was getting late and you really wanted to go home, so you rolled up your sleeves and began to jog back the way you. One by one you noticed that streetlights around you began to turn off. Your face morphed into dismay as you practically began to sprint, now you really wanted to get home. Almost there, all you had to do was turn the corner when you reached the church, almost there. Your thoughts running wild.  
Blink

Blink

Blink

Each light was going out, you passed the church. You heart filled with terror. 

You rounded the corner.      Almost. 

You stopped, almost falling the fuck over.

There was a god. Damn. _Balloon_. Just like your first night in Derry at the inn. It was just hovering in the middle of the road, the last light shining on it. You wouldn't be able to go home unless you pass it. Your face hot with anger, you stomp towards it "Is this fucking _funny_ to you? Whoever you are? Wasting time blowing up balloons just to _scare_ me?" You were yelling into the darkness, hopefully on deaf ears. But someone was listening, You opened your purse, albeit difficult while you move, and pull out a pair of tweezers . The balloon was few feet away, right in front of your house. You aim "This ends now." you bring your hand down with all of your might, the tips of the tools pushing through the latex.

POP!

Ears ringing. It sounded like a gunshot, you were splattered with blood. The pearl white string from the offending object lies stained on the ground. You drop your tweezers, shaking,  and look up to see a fucking _clown_. He's so tall its almost supernatural, and his outfit is so outdated, you wonder how old he is. You're horrified, you never thought you'd be scared of a clown. He looms over you, his hands behind his back, he smiles. "My my my my, you've made quite the mess haven't you? Mess mess mess, oh yes." He reaches out a hand, keeping the other behind him, as he wipes a finger across your forehead staining his glove. He laughs almost like a dog might would. "You smell absolutely divine, Child. I had no idea that humans your age could still be afraid of the dark." His grin spreads farther than you thought it would. You're absolutely speechless. He continues "But don't worry, this little guy will surely keep you safe from whatever goes bump in the night, little one!" He pulls his other hand from behind his back, which has your favorite clown sitting in his humongous hand. You grab him and inspect it closely. "How did-- How did you get this?" when you looked back up, he was gone and there was no longer any blood on your clothing.

 

You needed to get some sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah and here. We. Go. Kudos, suggestions, an comments are super appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> (; this is the fist chapter of hopefully many. Keep me motivated by commenting!! I'll be sure to update at least once a week. Maybe twice. 3 if you're lucky. (;


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